Anthony Johnson’s Manager Says He Will Return to UFC: ‘100 Percent’

Though Anthony "Rumble" Johnson walked away from mixed martial arts after failing to wrest the belt from UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, it appears he may not be done fighting in the Octagon.

Johnson's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, on Monday stated that he was sure that Johnson would return to the UFC and fight again, although it would take something special to draw him back to the cage.

“I talked to Rumble last week, and he said if Jon Jones fought (Cormier) as a heavyweight, and if Jon wins, he wants to come back and this is the only fight he thinks he’d come back to fight, Jon Jones," said Abdelaziz on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show on ESPN.

Now, that doesn't sound all that definitive, but Abdelaziz wasn't done there.

Since Johnson left the Octagon in 2017, he has been bodybuilding, which has made him a solid heavyweight that would have to cut weight just to get down to the division's 265-pound limit, which is rather stunning when you look back and note that Johnson used to make 170 pounds to fight in the welterweight division.

"Anthony Johnson is 285 pounds (right now). He wants to come back as a heavyweight, but I think it has to be something different. He can’t just come back. He misses the sport and says he will come back to fight someone like Jon Jones," Abdelaziz continued, seeming sure that "something different" would eventually present itself.

"He’s been in the sport for a long time. He’s resting his body; he’s having fun. He will fight again, for sure, for sure, 100-percent."